This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Pamela Wallin volunteered to repay expense as envoy in New York

Sen. Pamela Wallin once reimbursed the government after being asked why she had flown first-class as Consul General in New York, documents show.

When Pamela Wallin served as consul general to New York from 2002 to 2006, she hosted a $1,225 reception for 65 guests to celebrate Paul Shaffer, above, of David Letterman fame, receiving a Golden Jubilee medal in February 2003.
(Toronto Star file photo)

OTTAWA—Sen. Pamela Wallin enjoyed a generous expense account in her previous life as a diplomat, taking limousine rides around Toronto and once reimbursing the government after being questioned about why she had flown first-class, newly released records show.

The embattled senator from Saskatchewan served as consul general to New York from 2002 to 2006 following her career as a well-known television journalist.

Nearly 2,000 pages of detailed invoices and other records obtained by the Star through access-to-information legislation covering most of that term — from late 2002 through 2005 — show the position came with a healthy travel and hospitality budget that included annual trips to Bermuda.

Emails between officials also reveal a sensitivity around how first-class flights would appear to media once proactive disclosure rules meant expenses began being posted online, with Wallin eventually volunteering to reimburse the Canadian consulate for the difference in fares.

Article Continued Below

Total expense figures available online show Wallin racked up $78,137 from December 2003 to July 2006, the only period for which the numbers are available through proactive disclosure.

The annual totals are comparable to what was claimed by her successor, Daniel Sullivan, who held the position until 2011.

The job in New York City, which now comes with an annual salary ranging from $150,500 to $177,000, included many dinners and lunches at the official residence on Park Ave. that were described as opportunities to build relationships with key American contacts, promote Canadian interests and learn more about cross-border issues.

Flowers, wine and coffee-table books set the scene for get-togethers with everyone from journalists and provincial premiers to NHL officials and the cast members of Broadway musicals.

The list of events included a $1,225 reception for 65 guests to celebrate Paul Shaffer, a Canadian musician best known as the sidekick to late-night television host David Letterman, receiving a Golden Jubilee medal in February 2003.

A 12-person dinner party on April 1, 2003 for broadcast journalist Peter Jennings, who has since died, went ahead despite the guest of honour having cancelled to cover the beginning of the war in Iraq.

Mark Fisher, a spokesman for Wallin in her Senate office, referred all questions to the foreign affairs department, where a spokeswoman said she would be unable to provide information about specific claims in time for publication.

The job also involved some travel, including an annual trip to Bermuda, as the consul general for New York was responsible for diplomatic relations with the British territory off the U.S. east coast.

A March 2003 trip to Bermuda cost $3,372 (U.S.) and ran for five days, including an entire weekend where the itinerary showed no official activity but for which Wallin was provided with a meal allowance of $104 (U.S.) per day.

The cost of a 2004 trip to Bermuda, subject to new rules for proactive disclosure that meant posting the expenses online, made headlines and caused officials to be sensitive about costs on future journeys.

An email dated Aug. 6, 2004 between officials at the Canadian consulate in New York notes that Wallin had flown first-class on a trip to Aspen, Colo., the previous month when government rules allowed only for business or economy class.

“It’s especially delicate since an expense like this will have to be posted on the Internet under the CG’s name,” the official added, after explaining the rules.

After some back-and-forth over explanations for why it happened — the airline did not have a business-class section and travel was booked at the last minute — an official eventually says on Aug. 26, 2004 that Wallin had offered to reimburse the Canadian consulate for the extra $684 (U.S.) it cost to fly first-class instead of economy on that trip.

There were also several opportunities for Wallin to travel to Toronto, where she often chose to stay in “private accommodations” — Wallin has owned a midtown condo since 2002 — and charge the government $50 per night, an arrangement the expense forms suggest was in accordance with Treasury Board policies.

Wallin also often chose a limousine, rather than a taxi, to get around the city, including one trip in November 2004 when she received an award from an organization promoting partnerships between Canadian universities and industries.

The records include an invoice for $711 from a limousine service, which brought her to and from the airport and also brought her around the city to places including the CN Tower.

The federal government reimbursed her for $507 of the limousine bill and the organization that gave her the award covered the rest.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who defended Wallin when news that her travel expenses had been referred to external auditors in February, did not address his change of heart directly when reporters asked him about it Monday.

“As you know the senator has not been a member of our caucus for some months, but I would expect that action will be taken to ensure full accountability for any breaking of rules,” Harper said in Whitehorse.

More from the Toronto Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com